Benephit for Targeted Renal Drug Delivery

The Benephit Delta from FlowMedica is a catheter system that allows targeted drug delivery to the renal arteries, sparing the rest of the vasculature from potential adverse drug effects.
Get it? Benephit? Nephrons? It took me a little while, too. Anyway, in case you’re worried, it’s not that kind of catheter. And the first patient has now undergone the procedure, with positive results:

A patient undergoing treatment for clogged coronary arteries has become the first to successfully receive targeted renal therapy (TRT(TM)) with the Benephit(TM) Delta Infusion System, a new device designed to help prevent kidney dysfunction in certain patients undergoing certain coronary procedures, according to FlowMedica, Inc., the company that developed the system. In addition to chronic kidney disease, the patient suffers from congestive heart failure (CHF), a condition that affects nearly 5 million Americans. The combination of these conditions greatly increased the patient’s risk of developing kidney failure from the dye (radiocontrast media) used during his angiography and stenting procedures.
The Benephit Delta system is a novel, catheter-based medical device that enables the administration of physician-specified medications and other therapeutic agents directly to the renal arteries. This system is designed to provide selective infusion to both renal arteries simultaneously, using a single catheter. It received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year.

Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD, has been with Medgadget since almost the beginning. He's now Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai, where in addition to patient care and teaching responsibilities, he studies EHR usability and physician uses of social media. Dr. Genes serves on the editorial boards of Emergency Physicians Monthly and Emergency Medicine Practice. More about Nick: http://nickgenes.com